Villainous Stand-in (13)
Song Xuyi was certain: Li Yuqing must have seen her. Her eyes, shimmering like water, met her gaze for a brief moment—
However, after Li Yuqing blinked, she lowered her head and said nothing, continuing to take off her dress.
At this time, Li Yuqing had grown up, looking almost the same as in real life and was slightly taller than Song Xuyi. She was wearing a black fishtail cocktail dress with her hair down, a standard social outfit. However, as the zipper on the back slid down, it gradually revealed her snow-white skin like coagulated fat, her swan-like slender neck, and her beautiful waist dimples…
Such a Li Yuqing, mixing purity with sensuality, looked like a captivating siren from a fairy tale.
Song Xuyi felt her throat go dry, dared not look anymore, covered her face, and turned around. However, the scene she had seen kept lingering in her mind…
Was it because she had recently been teased too much by Li Yuqing that she couldn’t help but start having such dreams?
Song Xuyi felt deeply ashamed of herself. Never before had she so urgently wanted to wake up from a dream as she did now. However, the more she feared something, the more it happened—Song Xuyi’s back was pressed against a soft body.
Li Yuqing hugged Song Xuyi, the scent of alcohol lingering by Song Xuyi’s ear: “Sister, hug me…”
How could she dare to hug you in this situation?!
Song Xuyi didn’t dare to move at all, her whole body stiffened in place, feeling as if she were on fire, heat emanating from every part of her body—
“Can you please let go of me?”
Seeing Li Yuqing’s hand slowly and leisurely moving up to her collar from behind, Song Xuyi’s voice almost carried a sob. She finally managed to speak in a hoarse voice, coaxing, “Let’s talk properly…”
“I won’t let go.” However, the drunk person was not easy to coax and even bit Song Xuyi’s earlobe in a threatening manner, speaking with grievance, “Even in a dream, you don’t want me anymore?”
Dream?
Could it be that the Li Yuqing in the dream also thought this was a dream?
“No, this is not a dream!” In order to prevent things from continuing to develop uncontrollably, Song Xuyi could only raise her voice and explain with difficulty, “Yuqing, calm down, I really have come back.”
These words seemed to have an effect; Li Yuqing’s movements halted for a moment.
Song Xuyi sighed in relief and couldn’t help but start to feel a bit dizzy again.
Clearly wanting to convince herself that all of this was just a dream, however, whether it was the sharp pain from Li Yuqing biting her earlobe or the feeling of her whole body burning and her head almost steaming, it was all too real. Song Xuyi subconsciously began to doubt: Is all of this really just a dream?
But before Song Xuyi could think further, a force from behind pulled her, forcing her to turn around, and a soft sensation came to her lips…
?!
Song Xuyi widened her eyes.
Right in front of her was Li Yuqing’s flawless cheek.
Li Yuqing also seemed inexperienced, half-closing her eyes and clumsily nibbling on Song Xuyi’s lips. Even so, it was enough to overwhelm Song Xuyi. Song Xuyi tightly pressed her lips together, her body tense, feeling as if she was about to explode at any moment. Seeing that Li Yuqing seemed to have found some method and was trying to pry open her lips, Song Xuyi took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Resolutely, with trembling hands, she embraced Li Yuqing’s waist, skillfully maneuvering Li Yuqing onto the bed and quickly covering her with a quilt.
Seeing Li Yuqing covered tightly with only her beautiful head exposed, Song Xuyi let out a long breath. Her back was drenched in sweat, feeling more exhausted than after a fierce battle.
In the future, she must remind Yuqing not to drink alcohol, lest she be taken advantage of without even realizing it.
Song Xuyi couldn’t help but glance at Li Yuqing beside her: Li Yuqing had already opened her eyes.
For a moment, Song Xuyi felt that Li Yuqing wasn’t drunk: Li Yuqing’s gaze was extremely complex and focused, a look that a drunk person could not have.
However, immediately after, Li Yuqing’s clear eyes became misty, and she extended her fair, delicate arms to hug Song Xuyi’s waist: “Sister, don’t go—”
Li Yuqing hugged very tightly; Song Xuyi was afraid of dislodging the quilt on Li Yuqing’s body and didn’t dare to struggle forcefully. After unsuccessfully persuading Li Yuqing to let go, Song Xuyi could only blush and agree to Li Yuqing’s request: “Okay, okay, I won’t go.”
Was it just her imagination? If Li Yuqing were sober, she certainly wouldn’t be this clingy…
The drunkard then happily curved her lips. She tilted her head back, her eyes tinged with a slight blush from the alcohol, her eyes misty and sticky as she looked at Song Xuyi, inching closer to Song Xuyi, hugging Song Xuyi’s waist and resting her head on Song Xuyi’s lap.
The quilt slipped down, revealing the graceful and fair lines of Li Yuqing’s shoulders and neck. Song Xuyi glanced once and dared not look again, hurriedly covering Li Yuqing with the quilt.
In this way, Song Xuyi was thoroughly entangled by Li Yuqing, unable to struggle free.
Only at this moment did Li Yuqing seem satisfied! She began to smile, looking up at Song Xuyi, calling her sticky and sweetly: “Sister——”
“Mm.”
“Sister.”
“Mm.”
……
After engaging in several rounds of meaningless conversation, Song Xuyi ultimately could not withstand Li Yuqing’s voice, filled with unknown emotions, and deliberately closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, no longer replying.
A light laugh came from in front of her.
“Sister,” the young girl’s voice seemed to carry a bit of weariness, but it could not conceal the excitement and attachment in her words: “You don’t know, seeing you come back, I am so happy…”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Li Yuqing seemed to continue muttering something, but Song Xuyi could no longer hear clearly. Her vision gradually blurred, and Song Xuyi did not expect she would actually fall asleep.
When Song Xuyi woke up the next day, her face felt a bit itchy. Seeing Li Yuqing staring straight at her from a very close distance, she was momentarily unresponsive, thinking she was in the real world. She instinctively yawned: “Yuqing, aren’t we on winter break?”
Li Yuqing blinked, thoughtfully glanced at Song Xuyi, and then curved her eyes into a smile: “No, sister, I just started my first year in college not long ago.”
Recalling everything that happened before she fell asleep, Song Xuyi suddenly woke up completely—
The surroundings indicated that she was still in Li Yuqing’s room. Could it be that she was trapped in a dream again this time?
Then what was the reason this time?
Song Xuyi only remembered having the New Year’s Eve dinner, but she couldn’t recall anything that happened afterward.
……
After seeing the dazed Song Xuyi, a trace of darkness quickly flashed in Li Yuqing’s eyes.
“Sister,” Li Yuqing raised her voice, and after drawing Song Xuyi’s attention, her cheeks suddenly flushed red: “I, I want to ask you something. When I woke up, I found that I was naked, and then I was holding you… you…”
Song Xuyi’s eyes widened, only then realizing that at some point, she had already lain down. Looking at Li Yuqing’s shy and bashful appearance, Song Xuyi could no longer think about her own matters. She racked her brain and explained to Li Yuqing: “The thing is…”
Song Xuyi omitted the part about Li Yuqing kissing her, only saying that Li Yuqing fell asleep while changing clothes and that she was afraid Li Yuqing would catch a cold, so she carried her to the bed.
But this explanation still didn’t clarify why she was lying together with Li Yuqing.
However, contrary to Song Xuyi’s expectations, Li Yuqing seemed to believe this flawed explanation. Looking at Song Xuyi, she smiled brilliantly: “I know that Sister has always cared deeply for me.”
Song Xuyi stiffly pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile.
Perhaps it was because Li Yuqing had kissed her last night, or maybe it was because the Li Yuqing before her was too similar to the real Li Yuqing. Song Xuyi always felt that the Li Yuqing in front of her was like a seemingly cute but secretly aggressive wolf cub, making her inexplicably afraid to meet Li Yuqing’s gaze directly.
Li Yuqing, however, seemed not to notice Song Xuyi’s avoidance. She sat beside Song Xuyi and began to recount everything that had happened in the three years while Song Xuyi was away…
Over the years, Li Yuqing had followed Song Xuyi’s previous teachings to invest and had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth. In secret, Li Yuqing had also quietly contacted an old friend of the Li family to systematically study financial knowledge.
“Sister, these three years have been quite good for me. Everything has progressed according to my planned path,” Li Yuqing said with a smile, looking at Song Xuyi. “I just missed you a bit—”
“You don’t know how happy I was when I saw you,” Li Yuqing, seemingly unused to saying such things, lowered her head embarrassedly. “I thought I was dreaming…”
Song Xuyi did not expect Li Yuqing to rely on her so much. Although she still felt a bit awkward in her heart, after all, the Li Yuqing in the dream was like a little girl she had watched grow up over the years. Song Xuyi was somewhat moved, and couldn’t help but pat Li Yuqing’s head as she used to. “Silly child, Sister has always been thinking about you too.”
However, this action drew a protest from Li Yuqing.
“Sister, you haven’t been here for over three years, I’m not a child anymore!” Li Yuqing said with a smile, turning her head away as if the three years had not separated them. She coquettishly leaned towards Song Xuyi, hugging her arm and looking up expectantly. “Sister, I’m about to turn nineteen soon. Can you stay with me a little longer this time, until after my birthday before you leave…”
Song Xuyi was stunned for a moment.
From her vantage point, she happened to meet Li Yuqing’s eagerly expectant eyes. Probably because their ages in reality were not much different, at first glance, the Li Yuqing in front of her looked almost identical to the Li Yuqing in reality.
However, there were slight differences between the two.
The Li Yuqing in the dream looked at her with an extremely focused gaze, as if she were the only person in her world. In contrast, the real Li Yuqing’s gaze always carried a layer of restraint, as if shrouded in a layer of mist, making her completely inscrutable.
Seeing that Song Xuyi hadn’t spoken for a long time, Li Yuqing seemed to understand something. The light in her eyes noticeably dimmed, and she lowered her head once again.
“Sorry,” Song Xuyi said. She had not expected the Li Yuqing in her dream to be so emotionally expressive in front of her. However, Song Xuyi could not bear to see Li Yuqing in this state and almost instinctively began to comfort her: “I will try to spend more time with you, Yuqing. Although I cannot control the amount of time I can spend with you, no matter where I am, I will always be thinking of you in my heart…”
However, Song Xuyi’s usually effective sweet talk seemed to lose its effect at this moment. Li Yuqing bit her lip and still did not speak.
Looking at Li Yuqing’s appearance, Song Xuyi felt a rare sense of helplessness, not knowing how to cheer her up. At this moment, a knock on the door came, conveniently relieving Song Xuyi from the awkward situation.
“Miss Li,” a servant entered from outside, carrying a bowl of hangover soup. “This is from the Master. The Master was very touched by your actions in protecting the Young Master from drinking too much last night. He has already arranged for you to have a day off from school, so you can rest at home without any worries today…”
“Please thank Grandpa Song for me.” When faced with outsiders, Li Yuqing’s face showed a polite and courteous smile that Song Xuyi was already accustomed to. She took the hangover soup and drank it in one go.
After delivering the soup, the servant did not leave. Seeing that Li Yuqing had finished drinking the soup, the servant continued, “By the way, the Master also wanted me to tell you that three days from now, the Young Master will have a social event with the Wang Group. The Young Master is weak, and he hopes you can accompany him—”
“I understand.” Li Yuqing still wore that gentle smile of friendliness, as if no excessive request could provoke her anger: “I will be prepared.”
The servant glanced at Li Yuqing, seeing her gentle smile without a trace of resentment, and was satisfied. The servant then collected the bowl, closed the door, and left the room.
Song Xuyi did not expect to hear this conversation.
The plot summary described Li Yuqing as seldom appearing at school due to illness. Initially, Song Xuyi did not think much of it. Witnessing all this now, Song Xuyi suddenly understood: How much of Li Yuqing’s absence was because of Old Master Song’s orders, forcing her to ‘feign illness’ to attend various social events?
Thinking like this, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but feel even more sorry for Li Yuqing.
As the door closed, the smile on Li Yuqing’s face vanished completely. She turned to glance at Song Xuyi, and after seeing the pity in Song Xuyi’s eyes, she suddenly became joyful again, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Song Xuyi: “Sister, you promised to accompany me as much as possible. You can’t go back on your word! We will go out and have fun this afternoon…”
Song Xuyi blinked: The Song family kept such strict control over Li Yuqing; how could she possibly find an opportunity to go out and have fun?
But Li Yuqing seemed very enthusiastic, and Song Xuyi felt embarrassed to dampen her spirits, so she nodded in agreement.
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
However, by the afternoon, Song Xuyi realized she had underestimated Li Yuqing’s abilities at this moment.
Li Yuqing told Old Master Song that she wanted to go out to learn flower arranging, and Old Master Song did not suspect anything.
The Song family’s driver took Li Yuqing to the flower arranging club. After entering the club, Li Yuqing got the key from the flower arranging teacher and exited through the back door, where a chubby man with an honest face was already waiting with a car.
Song Xuyi found the chubby man somewhat familiar. After thinking carefully, she realized that he was the owner of the fast-food restaurant next to the bus station that she had once taken Li Yuqing to.
“Miss Li,” seeing Li Yuqing come out, the chubby man came forward to greet her, “Which business are you going to discuss today?”
“Not today,” Li Yuqing’s eyes curved into a smile, “Uncle Zhang, I want to go out and have some fun today.”
The chubby man was taken aback for a moment, then immediately started laughing, “It’s about time! My son, who is about your age, spends all day playing and never stays home. You’ve been too hard on yourself…”
Li Yuqing smiled and got into the back seat.
In the chubby man’s view, Li Yuqing was happy about the afternoon’s outing. Only Song Xuyi knew that Li Yuqing had been staring at her the whole time, constantly typing on her phone to show her:
【Sister, shall we go to the amusement park first later?】
Li Yuqing was actively planning the itinerary. Seeing Song Xuyi nod, her eyes curved into a smile.
【Then, we should still have time to watch a movie.】
【Sister, what kind of movies do you like to watch?】
Song Xuyi remembered how Li Yuqing had been scared when they watched a horror movie before and thoughtfully replied, “As long as it’s not a horror movie, anything else is fine.”
【Is Sister afraid of watching horror movies?】
Li Yuqing glanced at Song Xuyi. Song Xuyi felt that Li Yuqing’s gaze was somewhat strange, as if she was regretting something, but then Li Yuqing withdrew her gaze, pursed her lips, and wrote on her phone:
【I got it!】
Afterward, following Li Yuqing’s plan, the two of them first went to the amusement park.
Song Xuyi in this world is an invisible person, others cannot see her, but Li Yuqing persuaded Song Xuyi with the reason “even invisible people have to follow the world’s rules,” so the two of them played games suitable for two people.
The two of them shared a large wooden horse. Li Yuqing let Song Xuyi sit on the wooden horse first. At first, Song Xuyi did not notice anything, but after the wooden horse started to rotate, due to inertia, Li Yuqing, who was behind, naturally leaned in, wrapped her arms around Song Xuyi’s waist, almost enveloping Song Xuyi in her embrace… Song Xuyi felt extremely strange, but looking around, all the other people riding the wooden horses were couples, and they were in similar postures…
When playing the balloon shooting game, Li Yuqing insisted on letting Song Xuyi choose a gift, confidently promising that she would hit the balloon corresponding to that gift for Song Xuyi. Song Xuyi saw a comic book on the shelf and casually pointed at that comic book. Originally, Song Xuyi thought that Li Yuqing’s boast was due to her skill, but after many attempts, Li Yuqing still did not hit the balloon corresponding to that comic book…
Seeing Li Yuqing’s cheeks turn red with embarrassment yet her persistence despite repeated failures, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
The stall owner, seeing Li Yuqing’s stubbornness, sighed and gave the comic book to Li Yuqing: “This comic book was my son’s treasure before he passed away from an illness some time ago. He said this comic book was a rare item, but we old folks don’t read comics. Whether it’s rare or not doesn’t matter to us. Seeing you so determined, I’ll give this book to you. Please take good care of it…” Li Yuqing was overjoyed, repeatedly thanked the stall owner, and happily held the comic book in her hands. Song Xuyi, upon seeing the cover, widened her eyes: this comic book was precisely the one that Li Yuqing had given her in real life…
Is all of this really a dream?
Song Xuyi couldn’t help but start doubting again: everything seemed too logical.
Song Xuyi carefully discerned everything around her. According to the original owner’s memory, she had never been to this amusement park. Song Xuyi planned to visit this place again in reality after waking from the dream. If the amusement park in real life was different from here, it would prove that everything was just her imagination and merely a dream. But if everything was the same as here…
In a daze, by the time Song Xuyi came back to her senses, she had already been pulled onto the Ferris wheel by Li Yuqing.
Inside the Ferris wheel sat two other couples. When the Ferris wheel reached the highest point of the city, the two couples simultaneously began to kiss. Adhering to the principle of “Do not look at what is improper,” Song Xuyi hurriedly moved to the other side, pretending to look at the scenery. Unexpectedly, Li Yuqing was unusually quiet beside her, seemingly making a wish with her back turned. Song Xuyi thought that Li Yuqing might also feel embarrassed in such an environment, and was about to ask what wish Li Yuqing made to divert her attention, but unexpectedly, Li Yuqing turned around just then, her lips brushing past Song Xuyi’s cheek…
Song Xuyi widened her eyes, while Li Yuqing’s reaction seemed even more intense than Song Xuyi’s. With a flushed face, Li Yuqing lowered her head and did not dare to look at Song Xuyi.
Thinking that Li Yuqing was still young, Song Xuyi could only overcome her own shyness and comfort Li Yuqing as if nothing had happened: “This was just an accident, Yuqing, don’t take it to heart…”
But Li Yuqing seemed extremely shy and did not dare to look at Song Xuyi afterward. It was not until the Ferris wheel stopped that she finally looked up at Song Xuyi, bashfully holding Song Xuyi’s hand.
Song Xuyi originally didn’t think much of it, but seeing Li Yuqing’s shy appearance, she inexplicably felt a bit awkward herself, and couldn’t help but blush at the tips of her ears.
Afterward, the two of them went to a private cinema.
The boss seemed to know Li Yuqing. Seeing Li Yuqing, he smiled and greeted her: “Little sister, still watching the same movie as last time? Where’s the girl who brought you here last time?”
Li Yuqing’s expression instantly turned cold. She then pressed her lips together and said, “This time I came alone. I want to watch a fresher romance movie.”
The boss was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed: “Alright, alright, I’ll arrange a fresher romance movie for you—”
Song Xuyi always felt that the boss’s smile was a bit strange, but couldn’t quite pinpoint what was strange about it for a moment.
Song Xuyi followed Li Yuqing into the room, and the boss came in to set up the movie, then turned off the lights.
The quality of the movie was indeed very fresh and beautiful. Two pretty girls appeared on the screen. They grew up together and went to school together… However, the plot was really too monotonous. After watching about twenty minutes of their trivial daily life, Song Xuyi couldn’t bear it anymore. She turned her head to chat with Li Yuqing: “Who brought you here last time?”
Song Xuyi did not expect that when she turned her head, she would happen to meet Li Yuqing’s gaze. Li Yuqing was looking at her thoughtfully, not knowing how long she had been staring…
“It was Song Xutian.” Hearing Song Xuyi’s question, Li Yuqing pressed her lips together, and a hint of disgust appeared between her brows.
Song Xuyi’s eyes widened. Although she rarely went back to the old house, she knew all the younger generation there. Song Xutian was the daughter of one of Song Xuyi’s aunts and was notorious in their circle for her promiscuity…
Thinking about Song Xutian bringing Li Yuqing alone to a private cinema, no matter how Song Xuyi looked at it, she felt that Song Xutian had bad intentions…
“She didn’t do anything to you, did she?” Song Xuyi frowned tightly. “Song Xutian is a reckless person. Yuqing, you must protect yourself well.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Li Yuqing tilted her head and glanced at Song Xuyi, a bit of inquiry in her eyes. “Sister, have you met Song Xutian? How do you know she’s not a good person?”
Song Xuyi was stunned for a moment, then remembered that in the dream, she indeed hadn’t met Song Xutian. She could only laugh to cover it up: “I heard it while the servants were chatting in the Song family.”
Fortunately, Li Yuqing didn’t pursue the matter. She gave Song Xuyi a thoughtful look, then answered another question: “She didn’t do anything to me, she just showed me a movie—”
As if recalling some bad memory, Li Yuqing frowned.
Very quickly, Song Xuyi knew what Song Xutian had shown Li Yuqing at that time.
Song Xuyi noticed that Li Yuqing seemed unwilling to answer and didn’t want to press her. She was about to change the topic, but just then, a distinct gasp suddenly came from the movie, interrupting the words on Song Xuyi’s lips—
Song Xuyi frowned and looked over, only to see the two girls on the screen, at some unknown point in time, already disheveled and embracing each other, kissing…
?!
Song Xuyi’s face instantly turned red, and she hurriedly found the remote control to exit.
However, Li Yuqing appeared much calmer than Song Xuyi. She looked deeply at Song Xuyi, her gaze lingering on a part of Song Xuyi’s face that was hard to see, then fixed somewhere, eyes seemingly aflame with a spreading wildfire. She curled her lips at Song Xuyi: “At that time, what Song Xutian showed me was similar content…”
…
The author has something to say:
Xuyi no matter how much she escapes, always ends up falling into Xiaoli’s traps…
Sigh…
LP: Re-translated on July 29, 2024